As reported by Associated Press, Naomi Pomeroy, an award-winning chef out of Portland, Ore., drowned in a SUP/inner tubing accident at age 49 on Oregon’s Willamette River.
Pomeroy drowned Saturday evening July 13 in the Willamette River near Corvallis after the group she was tubing with got caught on an exposed snag in the water, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said. Pomeroy was pulled under the water and trapped by her paddle board leash. The group had tied their inner tubes and paddle board together.
The lesson for suppers is to always wear a quick-release system when attaching yourself to your SUP with a leash. Using a Velcro tab around your ankle in a river as most surfers do in the ocean can lead to entrapment issues such as Pomeroy tragically encountered, with you unable to reach down to remove it. The lease should be attached to your lifejacket, with a quick-release mechanism to remove it whenever necessary.
“None of us are safe on a wild river,” says river safety instructor Nate Ostis, owner of Wilderness Rescue International and author of the award-winning NOLS River Rescue book. “We manage risk and even more specifically we manage people who can get tired, over-confident, and complacent. We each become each of these things almost every time we go out.
“There have been so many preventable river fatalities every year for the past 50 years. And one of the most upsetting aspects of that is that there are so many repeated mistakes. All quick release devices offer solutions and they all can fail. Just because we wear a releasable leash when on a SUP doesn’t not mean we are good to go. We need to train and understand our devices and when and where they have shortfalls or when and where we may even choose to discard them altogether.
“Not losing your board is important but not nearly as important as you getting back home to your friends and family. In some terrain it may be worth considering removing the leash completely. At the very least, SUP users traveling in moving current, should utilize leashes that offer a well-tested, quick-release feature. Perform good PPE checks with your teammates and don’t hesitate to call out other groups with grace when you observe them operating inappropriately.”
American Whitewater safety chair Charlie Walbridge, who annually compiles a database of river-related accidents, also strongly advocates the use of a quick-release device when it comes to SUPs. “There have been a number of paddleboarding fatalities reported to American Whitewater caused by entanglement in a tether that fails to release,” he says. “Many of the tethers out there are designed for flat water. They are hard to reach, and often fail to let go in strong current. If you use a tether, it should be waist-mounted for easy access and have a well designed, tested release.”
Authorities said they safely recovered the other two people on the shore and transported them to a boat launch. Pomeroy’s body was recovered Wednesday morning July 17 from the Willamette River near Hyak Park outside Corvallis. People canoeing on the river between Corvallis and Albany spotted her body around 10 a.m. Wednesday and called 911.
“I want to thank all involved in the search and recovery mission and support during this difficult time,” Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall said in a statement.
(Image via Naomi Pomeroy/Instagram)
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